Higher Education: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of support to institutions in South East London for students studying equivalent or lower qualifications.

Bill Rammell: No students currently studying equivalent or lower qualifications will be affected by these changes. In future, our policy of redistributing grant will widen participation and mean that more of the three million Londoners of working age who do not have a first higher-level qualification, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds, will be able to benefit from participating in higher education.

Research: Animal Experiments

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding his Department provides for research into alternatives to using animals for research purposes.

Ian Pearson: In 2004 the Government established the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NCSRs) for research into alternatives to the use of animals in research; this is the first centre of its type in the world. Since its launch, baseline Government funding for the NCSRs has increased from £696,000 in 2004-05 to £2.218 million in this financial year. In addition to this, because of the number of additional high quality applications received, the NCSRs secured additional funding of £400,000 from the MRC and BBSRC.
	Research related to the 3Rs can also be submitted to MRC and BBSRC through their response mode funding mechanisms.

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) objectives and  (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by her Department its predecessor Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Parmjit Dhanda: The total amount spent by the Department centrally with the five companies since 2004-05 is as follows
	
		
			  £000 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 to date  Total 
			 Deloitte and Touche 882 1,653 241 86 2,862 
			 Ernst and Young 434 763 18 0 1,215 
			 KPMG 921 550 356 476 2,303 
			 Pricewaterhouse- Coopers 926 970 1,338 1,099 4,333 
			 PA Consulting 9,457 12,047 8,840 6,126 36,470 
		
	
	The nature of each contract involved could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 554W, and to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1170W, which give details of certain departmental contracts.
	The amounts spent by the Department's agencies and nature of the contracts are set out as follows.
	
		
			   £000  
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total  Nature of contract(s) 
			  Fire Service College   
			 Deloitte and Touche 3 0 0 0 0 Risk Management Workshop 
			 Ernst and Young 0 0 0 0 0  
			 KPMG 0 0 0 0 0  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 26 0 0 0 26 Pay and Grading Review 
			 PA Consulting 0 0 0 0 0  
			
			  Ordnance Survey   
			 Deloitte and Touche 0 13 0 0 13 2005-06: International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advice 
			   2006-07: Computer Audit Services 
			 Ernst and Young 0 0 0 0 0  
			 KPMG 0 0 0 0 0  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 7 9 0 5 21 2004-05: Investigation of IFRS implementation impact 
			   2005-06: Internal Audit 
			   2005-06 and 2007-08: Agency Performance Monitor Review 
			 PA Consulting 0 0 0 0 0  
		
	
	Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre have not used the services of any of these companies. Information for the Planning Inspectorate could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Local Authorities: Rodents

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on  (a) the number of local authorities which charge for treating mice infestations in residential properties and  (b) the average price charged by local authorities for such treatment.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Defra holds no information on either the number of local authorities which charge for treating mice infestations in residential properties or the average price charged. It is for local authorities to decide on the most appropriate pest control programme in their own area, while having regard to their duties under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.

Regional Planning and Development: East of England

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation is planned as part of the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy.

Parmjit Dhanda: No further consultation is planned as part of the process of finalising the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England, also known as the East of England Plan. There has been substantial public consultation at the various stages of the plan's development, namely the 14 week consultation on the Draft East of England Plan (launched December 2004), the 12 week consultation on the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes to the Draft Plan (launched December 2006) and most recently the Secretary of State's Further Proposed Changes to the Draft Plan (launched October 2007).

Smart Cards

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities she expects to introduce smart cards for the National Bus Concessionary Fares scheme by 1 April 2008.

Rosie Winterton: We expect all travel concession authorities to introduce smartcards for the new concession. We have provided authorities with around £31 million for the introduction of these cards.

Helicopters

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what helicopters are  (a) owned and  (b) utilised by (i) his Department and (ii) the armed forces; what the (A) original date of manufacture and (B) first in service year was for each such helicopter; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the helicopters owned and leased by the Department for use by the armed forces. The original date of manufacture has been taken as when the first aircraft came off production, except for the Lynx for which the date of the first Lynx Trials Installation Flight has been given. The first year in service has been taken as the year in which the aircraft were first flown by the UK military.
	The original dates of manufacture for the leased aircraft relate to the specific aircraft currently being leased by the MOD.
	
		
			  Helicopter type  MOD owned/leased  Original date of manufacture  First in service year 
			 Agusta A109 A Owned 1979 1984 
			 Agusta A109 AM Owned 1984 1984 
			 Apache AH Mk1 Owned 2000 2001 
			 Chinook Owned 1980 1981 
			 Gazelle Owned 1972 1973 
			 Lynx Owned 1972 1977 
			 Merlin Mk1 Owned 1995 1999 
			 Merlin Mk3 Owned 1998 2000 
			 Puma Owned 1971 1971 
			 Sea King Owned 1969 1969 
			 
			 Agusta Westland A109E Leased 2006 2006 
			 Bell 212 Leased 1971 1994 
			 Dauphin Leased 1990 1996 
			 Griffin (Bell 412) Leased 1996 1997 
			 Squirrel Leased 1996 1997

Anniversaries

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list planned commemorative  (a) coins and  (b) events for 2008 in which the Government will be involved.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South-West (Mr. Darling) on 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 115WS, which announces the coins to be issued in 2008.
	The Government currently have no plans to attend any events in relation to 2008 commemorative coins.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Solicitor-General what the ratio of domestic violence prosecutions to convictions was in each of the last 10 years.

Vera Baird: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide an analysis of the outcome of proceedings for domestic violence only with effect from full implementation of the Compass Case Management System in 2004.
	The following figures show the number of defendant cases either charged by police, or accepted for prosecution by the CPS, which were identified as allegations involving domestic violence. The data is split into those defendant cases resulting in a conviction, and those resulting in an unsuccessful outcome:
	
		
			   Convictions  Percentage  Unsuccessful outcomes  Percentage  Total 
			 2004-05 19,468 55.10 15,867 44.90 35,335 
			 2005-06 30,213 59.80 20,343 40.20 50,556 
			 2006-07 37,505 65.20 20,034 34.80 57,539 
			 2007 to 14 January 2008 34,034 68.40 15,698 31.60 49,732

Nuclear Disarmament

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government plan to take to secure nuclear disarmament in accordance with their commitments under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Kim Howells: The UK has now met the commitment outlined in the 2006 White Paper on the future of the UK nuclear deterrent to reduce the number of operationally available warheads to fewer than 160. The explosive power of our nuclear arsenal has been reduced by 75 per cent. since the end of the cold war.
	My right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett) announced in her June 2007 speech to the Carnegie Endowment that the UK would act as a "disarmament laboratory" for the thinking and practical work required to move forward global nuclear disarmament. We are supporting an independent International Institute of Strategic Studies in-depth study to help determine the requirements for the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons. We have also tasked the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston with some detailed work on key stages in the verification of the reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons.
	The UK continues to press for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, the next logical step for multilateral nuclear disarmament, at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Turkish Government on the prosecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church for using the title Ecumenical; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The issue of religious freedoms in Turkey is regularly raised with the Turkish Government. My right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) also met the Ecumenical Patriarch in January last year to discuss the difficulties facing the Orthodox Church in Turkey.
	We continue to urge the Turkish authorities to resolve ongoing issues relating to fundamental rights and freedoms facing religious minority groups in Turkey, including the status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

EC Immigration

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on UK participation in the development of EU rapid border intervention teams.

Liam Byrne: The UK fully supports the EU Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs) initiative; but is excluded from the Frontex Regulation and thus the RABITs Regulation. However, as signalled by the Council Declaration accompanying adoption of the RABITs Regulation in June 2007, we are exploring ways in which the UK can support RABITs operations abroad on an observer/advisor basis, in a similar way to our support for Frontex joint operations. The UK can participate in Frontex operations, if we wish to, with the agreement of the Frontex Management Board on a case-by-case basis.

Illegal Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many estimates her Department has made of the illegal migrant population since 1997; what methodology was employed to produce each such estimate; what those estimates were; what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: No government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case. Exit controls were phased out from 1994 but are being re-instated from this year, so it will become possible to count people in and out of the country. ID cards for foreign nationals are also going to be introduced.

Immigration: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those deported or otherwise removed from the UK as illegal migrants in each year since 2001 had entered the UK on a student visa; and what estimate she has made of the number of student visa holders in the UK who have overstayed.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of people who have been removed from the United Kingdom (UK) having entered on a student visa could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	As the then Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, following the dismantling of routine embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no government has been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case.
	A clear goal has been set to reintroduce systems to count everyone in and out of the UK. The e-Borders programme, scheduled to commence this year, will strengthen and modernise our border control including providing an electronic record of all those entering and leaving the UK. We expect to count 95 per cent. of all passengers in and out of the country by the end of 2010.
	In the meantime, targeted embarkation controls continue to take place at major ports to identify failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders who are leaving the UK, and the Border and Immigration Agency is reviewing its capacity to extend these.

Passports

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispatched passports have been reported lost since October 2006; and what estimate she has made of the number of such passports that may have been stolen.

Meg Hillier: For the period October 2006 to August 2007, the latest period for which data is available, the estimated number of passports recorded as lost during the delivery process is 665. Of these, 584 are recorded as mis-posted by the courier, 78 as a consequence of a theft from or attack on a courier, and three were reported as lost within Secure Mail Services, the courier company that delivers passports on behalf of IPS.
	All confirmed losses are cancelled on the IPS system and details entered onto the centralised database of lost and stolen passports, and all passports contain security features to prevent misuse.

Better Off in Work Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to extend the time the proposed better off in work credit will be available beyond 26 weeks; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 31 January 2008, Vol. 471, c. 3MC.]

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 January 2008
	As the Prime Minister announced ant the TUC Conference the In Work Credit will be rolled out across the country from October 2008. We have no current plans to extend the credit beyond 26 weeks.

Labour Party: Elections

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he  (a) informed the Permanent Secretary in the relevant Department of the donations he received as part of his campaign for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party and  (b) registered them with the Cabinet Office in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Peter Hain: holding answer 17 January 2008
	In accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, a list of Ministers relevant interests declared to their Permanent Secretary will be published in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate was for claimants in Islington North constituency of the newly returned to work benefit in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 January 2008
	From November 2006 to October 2007, the latest period for which data is held, 80 people in Islington North constituency began a claim for in work credit.

Children's Centres

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres are open; and how many he expects to be open by  (a) 31 January,  (b) 29 February,  (c) 31 March,  (d) 30 April,  (e) 31 May and  (f) 30 June 2008.

Beverley Hughes: There are 1,934 operational children's centres as of 18 January. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of Sure Start children's centres in their areas. Local authorities are currently reporting to the Department's delivery partner, Together for Children, on their estimated dates for designation of further children's centres during 2008. TfC's own estimate, based on their work with local authorities, is that 2,500 centres will be open by 31March.
	Phase 3 of the Sure Start children's centres programme begins in April 2008 and ends in 2010. Some of these centres will not involve major capital work and have much shorter lead times. Local authorities have not yet been asked to report their estimates for the total number of centres to be open by the end of April, May and June.

Bridlington Hospital: Cleaning Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1309W, on Bridlington hospital cleaning services, when the deep clean of the hospital will be completed; and what the expected cost is.

Ann Keen: All trusts were required to submit and agree their deep clean plans with primary care trusts in their area by 14 December 2007 and this process has been monitored and assessed by strategic health authorities (SHAs). I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Health, (Alan Johnson) on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 38-39WS. Further information on the implementation of the deep clean of the national health service is available from SHAs. All deep cleans will be complete by the end of March 2008.

Hospitals: Cleaning Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many hospitals in England have completed a deep clean since 23 September 2007;
	(2)  on what date prior to 14 December 2007 the deep cleaning plan by Peterborough and Stamford hospitals Foundation NHS Trust was submitted to the East of England strategic health authority;
	(3)  when the Alfred Bean hospital in Driffield will receive its deep clean.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 All trusts were required to submit and agree their deep clean plans with primary care trusts in their area by 14 December 2007 and this process has been monitored and assessed by strategic health authorities (SHAs). I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Health, (Alan Johnson) on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 38-39WS. Further information on the implementation of the deep clean of the national health service is available from SHAs. All deep cleans will be complete by the end of March 2008.

Smuggling: Animals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought against illegal importers of animals into the UK in 2007; and what the conviction rates were in these cases.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Prosecutions and convictions brought against illegal importers of animals are reported annually to Parliament. Data collected during 2007 are still being collated and will be reported in the 'Return of expenditure incurred and prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981 and incidences of disease in imported animals for the year 200', which will be laid before Parliament by the end of March.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ban the use of non-domesticated animals in travelling circuses; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Mike Radford's report on wild animal Acts in travelling circuses was released on 20 November 2007. The Working Group concluded that a ban on wild animals in circuses could not be legally justified purely on scientific grounds. In these circumstances a ban could not be made by using secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Officials are currently considering the feasibility of introducing secondary legislation under the Act to promote the welfare of wild animal acts.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of an offence under each relevant section of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in each year since 1977;
	(2)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of an offence under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 in each year since 1977.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested covering the years 1979-2006 are provided in the following table. Data for 1977 and 1978 is not available broken down to the level of detail requested.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the abandonment of and cruelty to animals, England and Wales 1979-2006( 1,2) 
			  Statute: Protection of Animals Act 1911 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 1979 519 145 466 128 38 20 33 15 
			 1980 589 213 525 189 40 24 36 21 
			 1981 625 205 540 177 36 16 35 13 
			 1982 582 233 518 206 43 24 39 19 
			 1983 612 225 545 201 37 14 33 11 
			 1984 627 244 551 209 53 34 51 31 
			 1985 687 300 588 259 48 35 41 30 
			 1986 707 304 603 259 38 21 35 18 
			 1987 728 298 625 259 36 26 32 25 
			 1988 722 298 616 258 24 20 22 20 
			 1989 707 337 604 289 30 21 27 17 
			 1990 814 345 661 301 40 12 29 12 
			 1991 819 348 578 278 27 20 24 17 
			 1992 780 366 621 301 38 24 34 20 
			 1993 727 346 575 277 29 24 21 17 
			 1994 621 285 499 230 17 4 13 3 
			 1995 601 322 491 261 8 10 5 8 
			 1996 648 318 505 258 15 10 11 8 
			 1997 687 364 565 302 14 12 10 11 
			 1998 690 414 557 330 23 13 18 8 
			 1999 661 385 521 304 10 7 7 5 
			 2000 707 365 567 292 15 11 6 7 
			 2001 629 344 481 271 16 9 12 7 
			 2002 654 351 491 277 12 11 11 9 
			 2003 635 364 484 299 12 7 11 4 
			 2004 623 359 490 296 13 6 10 4 
			 2005 674 382 520 319 9 18 6 12 
			 2006 623 353 470 284 10 13 7 8 
			 (1) Data provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court Proceedings Database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice Our ref: 008 and 009-07

Bovine Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times and in what circumstances his Department used its powers to appoint an independent valuer in cases of bovine tuberculosis; and what the outcome was regarding compensation paid on each occasion.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 1 February 2006, compensation for cattle compulsorily slaughtered for bovine TB control reasons has mainly been determined through table valuations. However, where inadequate (or no) sales data has been collected for a particular category, and a previously determined market average price is not available, the level of compensation is determined by an independent valuer.
	Since table valuations were introduced, compensation has been determined in this way in approximately 2 per cent. of cases—which equates to about 635 animals between February 2006 and November 2007. When independent valuers are appointed, their decision is binding on both DEFRA and the cattle owner.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate has been made of the percentage of  (a) badgers and  (b) cattle affected by tuberculosis in hotspot areas.

Jonathan R Shaw: The randomised badger culling trial (RBCT), which ran from 1998 to 2006 and was centred on areas of high bovine TB risk, found evidence of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in badgers in all RBCT areas where culling took place.
	During the RBCT, patterns of M. bovis infection were also investigated in badgers killed in road traffic accidents (RTAs). The overall prevalence of M. bovis infection in RTA badgers (15 per cent.) was similar to that recorded in badgers culled in the "proactive" RBCT areas (16.6 per cent.) between 2002 and 2005. However, when a sample of the proactively culled badgers were subjected to a more detailed post mortem analysis, prevalence levels nearly doubled.
	The following table lists those counties in Great Britain with a TB herd incidence greater than the national average in January to November 2007.
	
		
			  Worst affected counties in Great Britain  TB incidence( 1 ) (percentage) 
			 Gloucestershire 10.9 
			 Hereford and Worcester 8.8 
			 Gwent 7.9 
			 Devon 6.8 
			 Wiltshire 6.0 
			 Powys 5.8 
			 Shropshire 5.8 
			 Cornwall 5.4 
			 Avon 4.9 
			 Staffordshire 4.7 
			 Somerset 3.7 
			 Great Britain 3.7 
			 (1 )Confirmed new TB herd incidents (breakdowns) as a percentage of the number of tests on unrestricted herds (not including pre-movement tests). Provisional figures, subject to change as more data becomes available.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle there were, and how much compensation was paid for affected cattle, in each county in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is as follows:
	Table 1 sets out the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis control measures and compensation paid in Great Britain in each of the last five calendar years for which full-year data are available.
	Table 2 sets out a full county breakdown of the number of cattle slaughtered over this period. A full county breakdown of the amount of compensation paid is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Cattle slaughtered under TB control measures in Great Britain and compensation paid: 2002-06( 1) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cattle slaughtered 23,744 23,821 23,064 30,081 22,242 
			 Compensation paid (£) 23,138,512 38,216,249 33,785,023 42,844,857 28,169,269 
			 (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2005 and 2006 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data becomes available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Cattle slaughtered under TB control measures in Great Britain, by county, 2002-06( 1) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  England  
			 Avon 798 523 567 591 325 
			 Bedfordshire 2 0 0 0 2 
			 Berkshire 4 4 3 2 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 16 43 1 11 51 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Cheshire 393 874 425 248 149 
			 Cleveland 1 2 1 0 4 
			 Cornwall 2,983 2,494 2,415 3,490 1,692 
			 Cumbria 109 275 510 168 114 
			 Derbyshire 372 356 321 608 463 
			 Devon 3,125 3,767 4,758 6,660 4,468 
			 Dorset 398 408 413 450 336 
			 Durham 37 5 3 3 0 
			 East Sussex 107 31 48 58 125 
			 Essex 1 1 0 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 2,773 1,926 1,287 2,427 1,506 
			 Greater London 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 2 2 13 3 3 
			 Hampshire 8 13 17 21 30 
			 Hereford and Worcestershire 2,788 2,680 2,686 3,698 2,817 
			 Hertfordshire 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 6 1 9 5 27 
			 Isle of Wight 1 1 6 0 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 2 4 1 3 10 
			 Lancashire 12 9 4 45 19 
			 Leicestershire 42 82 104 44 90 
			 Lincolnshire 4 4 11 66 23 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 20 3 
			 Norfolk 1 1 2 0 1 
			 North Yorkshire 37 23 169 71 11 
			 Northamptonshire 64 19 18 26 45 
			 Northumberland 517 27 11 31 28 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 1 17 1 5 
			 Oxfordshire 57 11 15 16 20 
			 Shropshire 493 473 757 856 877 
			 Somerset 918 1,051 932 965 915 
			 South Yorkshire 0 1 1 0 1 
			 Staffordshire 1,157 1,205 626 1,297 1,051 
			 Suffolk 1 0 2 0 13 
			 Surrey 0 2 10 1 0 
			 Tyne and Wear 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 46 34 47 129 89 
			 West Midlands 4 1 0 1 2 
			 West Sussex 12 15 10 3 11 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 4 5 3 
			 Wiltshire 1,145 1,180 1,080 1,100 660 
			 Total 18,443 17,551 17,306 23,123 15,992 
			   
			  Wales  
			 Clwyd 60 55 96 36 117 
			 Dyfed 3,087 3,559 3,906 4,540 4,020 
			 Gwent 994 1,038 542 1,000 650 
			 Gwynedd 16 37 16 12 12 
			 Mid Glamorgan 19 14 12 2 24 
			 Powys 810 953 821 1,002 1,075 
			 South Glamorgan 14 2 0 2 9 
			 West Glamorgan 60 76 122 183 133 
			 Total 5,060 5,734 5,515 6,777 6,040 
			   
			  Scotland  
			 Aberdeenshire 12 22 23 21 53 
			 Angus 0 2 5 0 0 
			 Argyll 8 7 15 2 0 
			 Ayrshire 5 5 17 7 35 
			 Banffshire 8 4 5 3 2 
			 Berwickshire 4 22 4 0 1 
			 Bute 3 5 2 0 0 
			 Caithness 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Clackmannan 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Dumbartonshire 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Dumfriesshire 18 26 2 96 91 
			 East Lothian 4 3 5 1 1 
			 Fife 4 2 10 0 1 
			 Inverness-shire 4 1 2 1 0 
			 Kincardine 0 21 0 0 2 
			 Kinross 0 0 3 0 0 
			 Kirkcudbright 63 27 17 13 0 
			 Lanarkshire 1 339 0 2 2 
			 Midlothian and Edinburgh 0 0 6 1 0 
			 Moray 4 1 0 0 0 
			 Nairn 43 1 2 0 0 
			 Orkney 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Peebles 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Perthshire 10 5 10 8 2 
			 Renfrew 1 0 2 1 0 
			 Ross and Cromarty 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Roxburgh 1 6 3 0 0 
			 Selkirk 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Shetland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stirling 0 2 2 0 4 
			 Sutherland 0 0 1 1 0 
			 West Lothian 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wigtown 44 26 107 23 16 
			 Total 241 536 243 181 210 
			 (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2005 and 2006 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data becomes available.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested on prosecutions and convictions under the Dangerous Dogs Acts of 1989 and 1991 are provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Acts 1989 and 1991, by police force area, England and Wales 1997-2006( 1,2) 
			   Proceeded against 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 4 5 5 6 11 11 5 11 7 
			 Bedfordshire 2 8 7 6 6 11 11 6 18 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 5 13 12 12 15 15 13 19 22 
			 Cheshire 10 11 18 18 18 9 25 15 7 14 
			 City of London — 2 — — — — — — — — 
			 Cleveland 9 18 12 10 10 16 12 10 10 12 
			 Cumbria 3 19 9 18 13 12 16 18 17 24 
			 Derbyshire 2 2 6 7 5 8 8 8 16 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16 29 52 42 64 55 55 42 30 31 
			 Dorset 11 8 6 8 22 16 11 9 5 8 
			 Durham 6 16 17 20 8 12 18 15 17 18 
			 Essex 22 27 35 26 21 40 35 13 40 31 
			 Gloucestershire 3 4 4 3 6 10 10 9 8 8 
			 Greater Manchester 22 40 51 44 37 52 65 53 56 60 
			 Hampshire 34 40 36 46 40 45 34 47 42 41 
			 Hertfordshire 1 5 — 11 9 6 12 16 21 22 
			 Humberside 2 8 8 16 13 7 17 13 12 11 
			 Kent 1 2 3 2 — 7 3 11 27 18 
			 Lancashire 30 26 26 22 31 25 28 27 31 41 
			 Leicestershire 9 13 19 10 15 20 20 24 39 20 
			 Lincolnshire 2 12 8 12 8 11 15 14 16 23 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 7 1 6 2 8 6 3 
			 Merseyside 12 12 20 16 24 13 17 25 18 18 
			 Metropolitan Police 80 81 79 92 97 86 91 82 80 102 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 10 3 10 4 8 5 4 
			 North Yorkshire 11 9 9 7 14 3 8 7 13 7 
			 Northamptonshire 6 14 12 23 11 11 20 17 9 13 
			 Northumbria 35 45 43 42 41 38 34 51 28 41 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 21 16 8 7 17 12 15 25 16 
			 South Yorkshire 19 24 17 21 34 32 24 28 36 43 
			 Staffordshire 13 17 22 13 39 26 52 47 41 18 
			 Suffolk 5 4 4 7 6 5 3 7 5 6 
			 Surrey 4 8 9 15 9 11 14 7 7 14 
			 Sussex 25 27 31 27 33 16 23 28 22 27 
			 Thames Valley 15 16 16 28 17 28 24 34 36 58 
			 Warwickshire 3 12 4 1 4 2 2 2 3 5 
			 West Mercia 14 25 15 28 36 30 18 16 35 37 
			 West Midlands 16 39 40 36 48 75 65 78 58 48 
			 West Yorkshire 14 49 48 25 29 45 58 71 73 104 
			 Wiltshire 5 12 14 6 11 8 20 10 13 14 
			 Dyfed-Powys 15 15 31 15 14 10 12 21 10 16 
			 Gwent 1 10 13 32 23 29 19 22 26 15 
			 North Wales 1 7 10 18 12 12 19 22 18 22 
			 South Wales 10 13 13 28 30 27 28 24 22 13 
			 Total 504 764 802 836 886 922 988 990 1,025 1,077 
		
	
	
		
			   Found guilty 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 3 4 1 5 6 2 1 5 6 
			 Bedfordshire — 5 4 4 5 5 6 4 8 11 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 — 8 9 6 7 10 8 12 15 
			 Cheshire 6 6 12 15 10 5 16 11 2 8 
			 City of London — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cleveland 2 6 7 5 8 12 7 7 10 10 
			 Cumbria 1 12 6 6 8 8 11 13 12 18 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 4 4 3 2 3 6 7 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 16 27 26 42 33 29 28 21 11 
			 Dorset 6 2 4 6 18 8 7 7 4 7 
			 Durham 5 6 7 6 7 8 11 10 8 11 
			 Essex 5 15 15 8 8 19 18 6 27 18 
			 Gloucestershire 2 3 2 2 5 3 4 6 4 4 
			 Greater Manchester 13 26 38 33 26 35 48 33 40 45 
			 Hampshire 20 20 21 23 26 24 16 23 16 21 
			 Hertfordshire 1 2 1 7 6 — 7 4 11 11 
			 Humberside — 2 1 9 6 6 13 7 10 9 
			 Kent 1 — 2 2 — 4 2 5 14 14 
			 Lancashire 14 16 13 8 14 16 16 11 18 28 
			 Leicestershire 8 7 10 3 7 13 10 13 28 14 
			 Lincolnshire 1 4 5 9 3 6 6 11 8 13 
			 Merseyside 5 7 11 11 17 9 5 14 12 8 
			 Metropolitan Police 42 42 41 42 51 52 47 48 47 57 
			 Norfolk 3 5 1 7 1 6 2 8 6 3 
			 North Yorkshire 4 4 4 6 9 3 4 5 8 4 
			 Northamptonshire 1 8 5 16 6 7 13 16 6 9 
			 Northumbria 10 21 28 27 25 22 17 22 21 24 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 12 11 6 4 10 10 7 13 8 
			 South Yorkshire 8 18 7 10 22 13 10 18 24 28 
			 Staffordshire 6 11 10 13 19 8 18 25 25 15 
			 Suffolk 2 2 3 4 5 1 2 6 3 5 
			 Surrey 3 3 6 8 6 7 5 4 4 9 
			 Sussex 12 12 15 13 16 4 10 17 15 17 
			 Thames Valley 7 10 8 12 4 12 9 15 25 21 
			 Warwickshire 2 11 1 1 3 — 2 2 3 4 
			 West Mercia 4 8 10 12 26 21 12 14 20 26 
			 West Midlands 10 17 17 17 25 45 31 45 28 39 
			 West Yorkshire 6 29 31 16 14 22 33 43 45 63 
			 Wiltshire 3 8 6 3 6 7 13 9 6 9 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 8 18 6 7 7 10 9 4 9 
			 Gwent — 6 4 14 14 17 9 16 18 10 
			 North Wales — 5 6 12 9 7 12 17 13 15 
			 South Wales 4 7 8 17 20 17 15 8 14 8 
			 Total 241 406 442 459 522 517 531 582 625 668 
			 (1) Data provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court Proceedings Database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice Our ref: IOS019-08

English Language

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on English language classes for staff in the last year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not centrally hold information on English Language classes for staff, and to collate this data would incur disproportionate cost.

Hill Farming: Labour Turnover

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hill farmers left the industry in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2008
	Information on the number of Farmers, partners, directors and spouses working on farms is collected in the Annual June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. No information is collected on the number of farmers leaving the industry. The June Survey data is not split by hill and lowland farm but a breakdown of farmers in Less Favoured Areas between 1997 and 2006 are shown in the following table. These figures show net change only and therefore include gains as well as losses. The figures between certain years (in particular between 2001-02 and 2005-06) are not directly comparable due to changes in definitions and methodology as explained in the table notes.
	
		
			  Farmers, Partners, Directors and Spouses in Less Favoured Areas 
			   Number 
			 1997 25,600 
			 1998 28,466 
			 1999 27,819 
			 2000 28,671 
			 2001 33,452 
			 2002 32,582 
			 2003 30,833 
			 2004 30,955 
			 2005 31,101 
			 2006 36,348 
			  Notes: 1. Less favoured areas (LFA) are areas, such as mountainous and hilly areas, within the European Union where farming is made more difficult by natural handicaps. 2. Less Favoured Area holdings were classified differently in 2006 and figures may not be comparable to previous years. Geographical grid references applied from 2006 are more robust than previous historical data. 3. Estimates are based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. 4. Figures for 1997 to 1999 show main holdings only, from 2000 onwards minor holdings are also included. 5. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this date are not directly comparable with later results. 6. The introduction of the Single Payment Scheme in 2005 has led to an increase in the number of holdings registered. This impacted on the labour totals recorded through the survey in June 2006. This data for June 2006 is therefore not comparable with that from earlier years.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones: Capital Investment

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he 
	(1)  will make it his policy to introduce capital grants to assist farmers with increased storage requirements under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones directive;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on introducing measures to provide financial assistance to farmers to comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone regulations.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA does not intend to provide funding to help farmers to comply with measures required under the proposed Action Programme, as set out in the consultation on implementation of the nitrates directive in England. It has regular discussions with the Treasury on financial arrangements in relation to delivery of its policies.
	We are committed to seeking a derogation from the 170kgN/ha/yr whole farm limit for livestock manure. If approved, this will significantly reduce the economic cost to the livestock industry in the short term.
	We have also committed £98 million under the Rural Development Programme to the livestock sector, to improve competitiveness, animal welfare and on-farm management of nutrients.

Poultry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government plans to use the data held on the GB Poultry Register to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

Jonathan R Shaw: The GB Poultry Register was created in response to an increased threat of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (Al). It captures details of all those premises that keep 50 or more birds (even if the premises is only stocked for part of the year), with details of the location, numbers and types of birds kept and some relevant risk factors.
	This data has helped to manage the risk of Al in a number of ways, and has enabled us to:
	i predict the likely spread of disease and therefore respond proportionately in an outbreak;
	ii. plan and prioritise veterinary visits to control Al outbreaks in areas close to infected premises; and
	iii. communicate information and advice to registered poultry keepers quickly.
	We are currently consulting on a range of possible changes to the use of personal data held on the GB Poultry Register; for example, the use for other notifiable diseases. The consultation closes on 5 February 2008 and full details are available on the DEFRA website.

Supermarkets: Sustainable Development

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to seek a reduction in the food miles of produce in national supermarkets.

Jonathan R Shaw: While research for DEFRA has shown that food miles is an incomplete measure of the sustainability of the supply of food, reductions in transport can benefit society through reduced congestion and improved air quality. DEFRA supports the Food and Drink Industry Federation's voluntary commitment, announced last October, to reduce the environmental and social costs of domestic food transportation by 20 per cent. by 2012 compared to 2002.